Pomegranate Chile and Chicken Enchiladas

Recipe courtesy of the Pomegranate Council.

Recipe Ingredients:

Chicken Filling:
1 white onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, lightly pounded
1/2 teaspoon canned chipotle chiles in adobo, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Sauce:
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 thick slice onion, white
1 clove
1 bay leaf
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 medium pomegranate, seeded
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced

12 corn tortillas

Cooking Directions:

1. For Chicken Filling: Sauté onion in 1 tablespoon oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook for 30 seconds. Stir in broth, then cream. Add chicken; simmer, covered, turning occasionally until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken; cool. Stir in chipotle. Reduce liquid in pan until it thickens and heavily coats the back of a spoon; reserve. When chicken is cool, shred into bite-size strips; stir into pan liquid. (Chicken filling may be made up to 2 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. Return to room temperature before proceeding.) Just before assembling the dish, stir cilantro into chicken filling.
2. For Sauce: Melt butter in a small, heavy saucepan. Stir in flour; cook over low heat, stirring constantly for 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk. Add onion, clove, and bay leaf. Simmer over very low heat until sauce thickens and leaves a medium coating on the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Strain. You should have about 1 1/2 cups sauce. If sauce gets too thick, thin it with a few tablespoons milk. (You can make the sauce ahead up to 2 days. Pour into a container while it's hot, and then melt a pat of butter to coat the top, to prevent skin from forming. Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. Return to room temperature before proceeding.)
3. For Tortillas: To prepare tortillas, heat 1-inch oil in a frying pan just large enough to hold one tortilla. When the oil is hot, cook tortillas, one at a time, for about 20 seconds on each side to soften and seal with the oil. Drain on paper towels as you go. Lightly salt one side of each tortilla.
4. To Assemble: To assemble dish, oil a shallow baking pan just large enough to hold two enchiladas per serving. Put a generous 1/4 cup reserved chicken filling down the center of each tortilla; roll fairly tightly. Put seam-side down in baking pan; continue with the remaining tortillas. (You may assemble the dish to this point early in the day of serving. Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. Return to room temperature before proceeding.)
5. About 20 minutes before serving, gently warm reserved sauce; pour over enchiladas, taking care to coat each. Sprinkle with cheese.
6. Bake at 400°F (205°C) until enchiladas have heated through and the top just begins to brown, about 8 minutes. Let rest, covered with a towel, 5 minutes. Scatter pomegranate seeds and sliced onion over top.

Makes 6 servings.

Dietary Exchanges: Milk: 0.5, Vegetable: 0.7, Fruit: 1.0, Bread: 1.6, Lean meat: 0.8, Fat: 6.6, Sugar: 0.0, Very lean meat protein: 2.8.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/4 of recipe): Calories: 686; Total Fat: 39g; Cholesterol: 140mg; Total Carbs: 53g; Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 21g; Protein: 37g; Sodium: 789mg.

Recipe and photograph courtesy of the Pomegranate Council.